Windies suffer clean sweep after batting buckles

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HAMILTON, New Zealand (CMC) – West Indies suffered a 2-0 clean sweep on Tuesday after New Zealand needed just two sessions to wreck the remainder of the Caribbean side’s innings and inflict a punishing 240-run defeat in the second Test at Seddon Park in New Zealand.
Resuming the penultimate day on 30 for two in pursuit of a world record 444 for victory, the Windies lost their last eight wickets for 173 runs, to be dismissed for 203 at the scheduled tea break.
The defeat followed on the heels of the innings and 67-run loss in the opening Test in Wellington, which also ended inside four days, and extended the Windies’ unenviable streak of having not won a series on New Zealand soil in 22 years.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite said afterwards the Windies batting plan for the second innings never took shape.
“Individuals have different styles but the key was to take it over by over, session by session,” Brathwaite said. “Obviously it didn’t work out that way.
“[The message was] don’t think much about the 444 but take it over by over – unfortunately we didn’t do it.”
Roston Chase top-scored with 64 and tail-ender Kemar Roach entertained with 32, while Raymon Reifer resisted for 29, but none of the key batsmen stayed around long enough to turn the game into a real contest.
Their misery was compounded by the loss of Sunil Ambris who was forced to retire hurt on five with a broken arm, after being struck by a short ball from the aggressive left-arm pacer Neil Wagner.
Wagner claimed three for 42 while fellow seamers Trent Boult (2-52) and Tim Southee (2-71), along with left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner (2-13), all ended with two wickets each.

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